How Are We?
by Tigerdust
Summary: Fourth in the series. Hell outside the kitchen, heaven inside. XA is for slash and that's my deal!


Greetings, my beloved X/A fans! Yes, this is slash. That means that sex will, and does often enough, ensue. If this makes you into a naysaying prude, then this might not be the story for you. If you just blush a bit, then you might enjoy it ;)

Anywho, I'm still not Joss Whedon, and I've still not met David Boreanaz (but Lord knows I'm workin' on it). I write for fun, not profit, etc., etc., etc.

Please enjoy the fourth in the Questioning Death series with my sincerest gratitude for R &R!

PS: If you haven't noticed, my font is somewhat off. It's a slight computer issue, so talking will be **bold.** Trust me, it's better this way.

------On With the Show!-------

**Move in now!** Xander walked along the outcrop of the building. Steam from the melting midnight heat poured off the balconies of stone and glass. Los Angeles had been sent straight to hell, literally. Angel, Spike, and Xander were what was left of Angel Investigations. New allies had been forged by Wesley, but he and Fred were both bed-ridden and powerless. Angel still used his convertible every now and again, but it was mostly useless. It was just good to have the privilege.

For the better part of a month, the new AI team had spent a bit of time crafting a communication system to the outside world and Connor, before he was taken hostage by the demon warlord Vestriak, had tracked down a spell in an abandoned library that linked Xander's consciousness to Willow. The white lighter spell took a lot of Xander's spirit and fight, but with Angel by his side, he was always in top fighting form.

The humans that had been taken into hell by Wolfram and Hart's wrath were now fugitives. Good and bad alike didn't matter; demons, vampires, and various monsters saw them as nothing more than food or bait. So the matter became how to keep them safe and how to keep them hidden until Willow could find a spell to raise Los Angeles back into its rightful place. Willow was convinced that some of the energy of the Hell mouth could be displaced, but details were vague at best. She and Giles did so much research that many times Xander could tell her eyes were blood shot. She hid her concern well. They were both convinced Angel would keep him safe, at any rate.

Faith was working towards freeing Connor from the demon warlord, but it was tough because of the demon's shared consciousness, each being the sibling of the last. The AI team had met and decided the only way to keep the mortals safe was to systematically destroy the war lords and keep them all in the dark about Xander's power. They had finally figured out the link between Xander and Angel. Now, it was all about preserving the link; although the task was a heavy one. No vampire and their kalnea had survived as long as Angel and Alexander had.

**Why are the odds always stacked against us?**

**How many of them do you see?**

**Five, but they seem to be, budding. You might need my help.**

**Only if it's completely necessary.**

Angel entered, an impressive bearing his trademark. The warlords mostly knew in advance, via disposable underling messenger, that Angelus was coming for a meeting. Most of the underworld didn't know about the second soul restoration and kalnea bonding that allowed for something that had never been seen before. And hadn't yet been seen by a system warlord, only Xander during training sessions.

**Angelus. What a pleasure to see you.**

**I wish I could say the same. Tell me, Mr. Carlo, why you feel the need to be a burden to me?**

**Teliarch doesn't want to meet with you personally.**

**He thinks Angelus is beneath him? How many times have I brought a banquet for his table?** The microchip com in his ear beeped silently. **Gross, Angel. Did you have to say that?**

**Dramatic effect**, he murmured.

**What was that Angelus?**

**I said, what an enticing collection of guards you've acquired.**

**They keep the riffraff out, and they only eat one mortal per week. Perhaps Xander would like to stop by once**. Angelus lifted the goon before the glint could leave his eye.

**Listen, you greasy little gnome; misspeak about my team mate again and I will personally see to these little beasties feasting on one part of you per day, starting with your tongue.**

**Okay. No need to wrinkle the suit Mr. Angelus. Just follow me into the inner chamber and watch the tentacles. There are poisonous barbs.**

**Did you hear that?** Angel whispered into the ear piece. **Roger**, Xander moved in concert with Angel.

**What was that?**

**Glad to know it.**

**Angelus; I wondered when you'd grace me with a meeting. Estivio made me quite jealous when he heard that you'd stopped by last week.**

**Well, your brother has far too big a mouth, Sincarth.** Sincarth was a grotesque creature. He fed on the gluttony of humanity, both mortal and dead. His skin glowed with a sheen of oil and gases constantly rose from behind his throne, keeping a small puddle of sweat at his feet, well, at least if he had feet.

**One must wonder why you choose to visit him first, and how he survived the encounter.**

**You think I'd let an ally die, Sincarth? You think worse of me.**

**No, Angelus, I don't trust you.**

**That is probably wise.**

**What brings you here?**

**Well, since we've dispensed with the niceties, I was wondering about your guards and how I might purchase one?**

**Humans getting out of hand?**

**That's my business. Just curious as to how you acquired them.**

**They are very hard to control, Angelus. Why don't you just keep that boy attached to you; he seems to come in pretty handy.**

Angel kept his cool. **Don't underestimate me, Sincarth. That would be dangerous.**

**I don't fear you, Angelus.**

**You should.** The glass above and to the right of Sincarth shattered into large pieces and the last thing Sincarth saw before his eyesight left him was the reflection of Xander Harris landing, cat-light, before his grotesque pearl throne.

**Messy business.**

**That was unwise. You can't kill me that easy. And now, the other warlords will know it's been death by your hand!**

**We'll see what happens**. Three more large shards skewered the giant hunk of fat known as Sincarth, he lay still, but a red buzzer went off as soon as the gas stopped behind the throne.

**The chamber settings must have had an alarm attached, just in case. Leaving is a good idea.**

**I couldn't stand much more of that guy, anyways. Give Toby a call.**

The door broke open and a couple of fiery red and green tentacles leapt toward new prey. The door flung back and the tentacles that had looked previously sedentary, turned onto their side and revealed a face with no eyes. Just a mouth. **Now would be a good time to call him.**

Xander struck a match against his heel and lit the candle in the inside of his coat. He was already sweating, but since he had no place to put his gear, he was used to it. The white candle let out a shaft of ivory smoke. He whispered Toby into it and it left on the breeze.

**We've got ten minutes?** Xander blew out the candle and returned the match to his sock, reaching for his collapsible silver dagger.

**Probably not.**

**I like those odds.** Xander began to run out of glass to throw at the tentacles. They seemed to consist of industrial rubber and didn't cut or bleed against it. Angel and Xander continued to duck and weave as three entered the throne room. **Okay, now we are trapped.**

**We need a shield!**

**You know I haven't perfected making anything that big.**

**You have to try.** Xander grabbed Angel and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply and allowed the link to fill his senses. The floor began to quiver under the spark of power it felt and chips of concrete and steel hit different parts of the tentacle. The floor underneath the demons began to dissolve, leaving only whip-like tentacles to surround Xander and Angel.

All around, the floor began to break apart and a large alcove was created. The alcove became a volcano as Xander's mind continued to focus. He dropped to his knees and relaxed as the last of the debris settled.

**That was incredible**. Angel reached for Xander's face and kissed him deeply on the forehead. **Now all we do is wait for Toby and Spike. Can we talk about naming him Toby?**

**What's wrong with Toby?**

**He's not a pet, Xan. He's a dragon; a dragon that's older than me.**

**Yeah, well, cradle robber, I'll have you know that Tobias is a great name for a dragon. In my eyes, the name produces strength and good character. Everything he has.**

**Hey, I'm not a cradle robber!** A side of the volcano groaned as three tentacles pounded their way through the barricade. **I think these are demonic polythries, Xander. They were infused with dark magic and brought through from the bottom of the sea.**

**Defining it doesn't make it any more dead, Angel!** Xander took his silver knife from his hip and shook his head as he lunged for the nearest barb. Thanks to the reflexes of the hyena spirit, he was able to cut a small notch while whittling away at the tentacle. Enough to collect some poison on the blade; something to be analyzed later for possible uses and antidotes.

A tentacle crept closer to Angel's feet as he ducked and dived. The shield Xander had created was quickly becoming an Achilles heel. One tentacle barely missed his heel, in fact. Then there was an awful screech and three consecutive bangs.

**Miss me, loves?** Spike stood atop Toby's head, holding a twelve gauger.

**Right on time, as always, Spike.**

They glided through the ashen sky atop Toby, as the first hazy rays of the day burst forth. The cloud cover and prismatic power that had brought them to Hell kept out most of the rays of the sun. It gave slight immunity to Spike and Angel. Not enough to change sleeping patterns, but enough.

They returned to the Wolfram Base and Spike returned to the training room. He and Toby had developed a sort of kinship and talked as they glided away, leaving the vampire and his kalnea to their own devices.

**So, what do you think?** Angel leaned over the counter as Xander put drops of the poison on different petri dishes.

**I think this stuff has some very interesting properties**, he muttered, not quite hearing his Angel.

**I think you have some very interesting properties**. Xander looked up.

**Are you hitting on me, Angel?**

**Don't I always?**

**I think I'm getting hungry.**

**I think we've worked enough for tonight.**

Xander slid the petri samples back into their temper-controlled fridge for later use, along with the different testing materials. He headed towards the kitchen and was surprised to see Angel head towards their room.

**You tired?**

**Yeah; long day.**

**I'll join you as soon as I've grabbed a bite.** Angel took his hand loosely.

**Don't be too long.**

Xander rummaged through the fridge, and pulled out some slices of turkey and a couple of leftover rolls. Angel came back in the kitchen just as Xander was licking some mustard from his fingers. Knowing Angel was so close, Xander took a bit more time before he looked up at his smirking lover.

Angel had changed his shirt. It was an almost shear black silk with just a hint of a pattern to it. Every quiver of his muscles; every non-existent beat of his heart showed through. In one swift move, he had been to the cupboard and back. He held a chocolate bar in his hand.

**We have to ration those, you know.**

**It's a special occasion.**

**I thought we didn't celebrate your birthday.**

**You changed me mind.** Angel popped the bar of chocolate into a bowl and punched a couple of buttons on the microwave.

**How?** The timer beeped and he reached for the milk, stirring the melted chocolate together with the cream.

**By being with me.**

Xander reached for the microwave behind Angel; putting his hand on Angel's neck as he brought the mixture back to the kitchen island. His hand caressed his lover's piercing. The special jade piece they had found two summers ago in China; special incantations that kept their connection from taking too much energy from Angel and giving it to Xander. The Chinese healer had given Xander the option of which soul would get the gift. By having the resouling and bonding ceremony, all of Angel had received the power of the jade, sown deftly into the flesh. Only flashes of the oath lettering and swirled creamy green poked out of the skin. The scar was a testament to the beauty and the raw power of the kalnea bond.

Xander turned to face the chocolate on the table and dipped his finger in it. He brought it toward Angel's tongue. Even though he couldn't digest it well, it tasted so much like Xander's blood that his body never really rejected it. Angel let the chocolate dance on his tongue and then he brought his head down. He nuzzled the back of his lover's neck; where the scar from his diamond and ruby link stones were set. He moved past that, and Xander's breathing slowed into an irregular pattern.

Angel burned to be with Xander, every little quirk and every little bead of sweat. It was an overwhelming, brash sort of lustful love they had. His hands grabbed Xander's tightening ab muscles and his groin felt Xander's ass. Xander slipped off his shirt so he could feel the duet of cool silk and skin his vampire contained so well. This time, the chocolate he fed Angel ended up tracing the line of his shoulder, his collarbone. Angel's fangs made him quiver as the cooling chocolate caressed his skin.

Vampiric speed wasn't enough. Angel ripped Xander's jeans away and barely had enough time to bring his growth between his lover's legs. He reached down and begin pumping both their cocks with his hands. Hearing Xander's moans sent him somewhere. His mind howled with crazed passion as he continued to stroke Xander's cock with his hand while stroking his shoulder with his tongue. Xander moved to turn and Angel's hard, burdening cock felt wonderful across his abs as he stroked him and they tightened the gap of air that seldom came between them.

Each looked into the other's eyes; never imagining someone different. The way his hair blows in the wind. The way his biceps pulse. The warmth and affection, the undeserved trust and loyalty. The cool strength and wisdom, the faith and the sexuality. My sense of purpose and being. My love. Angel leaned back and Xander grabbed him as they fell to the floor. Angel's cock began to spasm and Xander began to rock back and forth to the rhythm.

Angelus howled somewhere in the back of Angel's mind seconds before he began to cum with his lover right beside him on that terra cotta floor. Xander's tongue went back and traced the pattern of cum and every line, every drop of Angel's chest.

**How are we ever gonna make it to the bedroom?** Somewhere in the back of Angel's mind, Angelus chuckled in agreement.


End file.
